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New Year, New You (and some fun new products, too!)

2014 has arrived, and by now, your new year’s resolutions are likely in full swing. Whether it be to stop biting your nails, or to shed a few extra pounds, we all seem to have something we say we’ll do this year (whether we actually do it is another thing altogether). In the same way that new workout clothes somehow make you actually want to go to the gym, I thought I’d put together a list of a few fun products and items (some of which were Christmas gifts, thanks Santa!), that will hopefully help you get motivated about your goals for 2014.

Resolution: Get Fit!

Jawbone UP

I think this is probably in everyone’s top 5 resolutions, and truth be told, it’s not really a fun one. I mean, be honest, it is for the first 10 days or so, but then Haagen Dazs, yoga pants, and your living room couch all start to seem like better options than the gym. Need some motivation? The Jawbone UP band is a fun way to track your fitness goals, levels, caloric intake, sleep patterns, and more! The band itself does not have a screen, so you are required to link to your smartphone (Android/IOS) using the UP app. The bands come in a variety of colours and multiple sizes, ensuring a perfect fit for anyone. Not only is it fun to see how much (or little) sleep you got the night before, it also motivates you to get up (no pun intended) and reach your fitness goals. Whether it be walking the recommended 10,000 steps a day, or exercising for 30 minutes, this band is a fun, innovative way of tracking and analyzing your lifestyle. Want one? Get yours at the Apple store, or Best Buy.

Zumba Fitness World Party (Various Wii and Xbox Consoles)

I’ve never been one for typical gym equipment. Five minutes on the treadmill and I’m already staring at the clock, counting down the minutes until I can get off. To stay engaged and motivated, I find classes to be the best method of exercise for me. A couple years ago, I started collecting the Zumba Fitness games for Wii, and most recently, I purchased the latest game “Zumba Fitness World Party“. Love it. Not only can you track your score, as you can with mostly any video game, you can also track your fitness goals, weight, and how many calories you’ve burned. There are pre-set classes ranging in length and fitness level, so you’ll always have something that suits you. No need to hold a controller, as the game comes with a belt that allows you to play hands-free. The songs are fun, new, and familiar, and the dances range in style, so you’ll never get bored. And, if you don’t think a video game can give you a real workout, I challenge you to try this, and watch how fast you need a towel!

Resolution: Eat Healthier!

Yonanas

If you know me, you know that dessert is close to my heart. But, let’s face it, dessert doesn’t really mesh well with the resolution above…or does it? My latest purchase was a Yonanas machine. This fun invention takes frozen bananas (or other fruit) and turns them into a delicious, ice-cream style treat. Seriously, you don’t even add milk, or any liquid for that matter! The other day, I made banana, Skor, peanut butter ice cream that tasted better than any store-bought version! And plus, don’t they say that bananas are a healthy post-workout snack? Don’t you just love when a plan comes together…

Resolution: Set Time Aside for Yourself

Sally Hansen Salon Insta-Gel Strips Starter Kit

Fun, beautiful, salon quality nails that don’t chip after day one. Sound too good to be true? It’s not! The new starter kit from Sally Hansen includes everything you need to create your own gel manicure at home. I’ve blogged about my love of their fun-patterned nail polish strips before, but now they offer awesome designs in the gel version too! You first purchase the starter kit (a choice of 3 different colours), and then purchase just the strips separately. Each kit contains gel polish strips, a gel polish top coat, file/buffer/cuticle stick, cleansing pads, and a UV light to set the polish and ensure long wear (and long love!). It’s incredibly affordable and would definitely add some fun to your next girls night in!

Resolution: Enjoy Life More

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Not only is this a great feel-good read, it also has a lot of interesting facts and philosophical quotes about what makes up a truly happy person. In this book, author Gretchen Rubin takes on a new challenge each month in order to achieve “happiness”, while also uncovering what her own personal definition of that is (meanwhile encouraging you to really take time to focus on your own). Even though there are portions of this novel that describe life events I haven’t reached yet (marriage, children, and so on), I still found these sections to be surprisingly relatable and interesting. What’s even cooler about this book? The journal that goes with it, below.

The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal by Gretchen Rubin

One of the activities Gretchen explains in her novel, is that of keeping a journal. Now, if you’re anything like me, you have about 10 different journals you’ve started over the years, each with about 5 days worth of entries before you lost interest. This journal however, is different. All you need to do is write once sentence a day. Write about something that made you happy, or simply what you did that day. Keep this journal, and in the end, you’ll have 5 years worth of 1-sentence entries to look back on. Pretty cool, right?

Resolution: Learn Something New

The Can’t Cook Book by Jessica Seinfeld

Confession: up until last week, I’d never made pancakes. For some reason, I’ve always thought they were really complicated. How do you flip them without them falling apart? What happens if I burn them? I was feeling brave, so I chose the “Lemon Ricotta Pancakes” recipe from Jessica Seinfeld’s new cookbook. And…they were delicious, perfectly cooked, and actually looked just like the picture (does that ever happen?). Jessica ensures that anyone (yep, anyone) can create delicious, healthy snacks and meals. The items in this cookbook will please nearly any diet, and even the most picky of eaters (me).

Try a Fun DIY Project

Ready? Shameless blog promotion. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting a few fun, beauty and fashion DIY projects using unexpected household items. Check out some hints below and get excited!

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right ~Oprah Winfrey